Paneer and Bell peppers cooked in an aromatic and flavorful gravy made from freshly ground spices. The fragrance of ginger and garlic takes this curry up a notch. Traditionally made in a Kadai ( small wok) and hence the name. It's also referred as Karahi.
#Restaurant style
#gravy-version
Kadai paneer is a very popular vegetarian dish from North India. It can be prepared in 2 ways. Semi dry and gravy. The recipe below is for the gravy version. This recipe doesn't call for Onions.
Key ingredients for the gravy are Coriander seeds, Red Chilis and Ginger. If you don't have either of these please skip making it until you have them on hand. The store bought Coriander powder and chili powder don't do any justice to the preparation. But, you can always replace fresh Ginger with a store bought paste.
I have used Kashmiri red chilis in this recipe. They are low on spice and impart a nice reddish tinge to the dish.
If the paneer is store bought, cube and soak in hot water for at least 15 min. This will make it soft and helps in absorbing the flavor of the gravy.
RECIPE
Ready in 25 minutes Serves 4 people
Ingredients
● 4 large tomatoes, chopped
● 2 cups Paneer cubes
● 2 medium Bell peppers julienne
● 3 tbsp Coriander seeds
● 4 Kashmiri red chills ( Reduce for regular dry red chilis)
● 1 tbsp oil
● 1 inch Ginger julienne
● 1 clove garlic chopped
● 1 tsp Turmeric powder
● 2 tbsp cashews
● 1 tbsp Sugar
● 2 tbsp Cream (Optional)
● 1 tsp Garam masala
● 1 tsp Kasuri methi ( dried Fenugreek leaves)
● 2 bay leaves fresh or Dry
● Salt to taste
● Cilantro for garnish
Preparation
Fresh Kadai masala
1. Dry roast the coriander seeds and the dry red chilis in a hot pan without oil.
2. Once roasted and aromatic grind them into a slightly coarse powder and set aside.
Gravy
1. Chop the tomatoes.
2. Blend the tomatoes and cashews real smooth.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Toss in the bay leaves and let them splutter. Add the julienne Ginger and chopped Garlic.
5. Add in the tomato gravy and cook until the raw smell disappears.
6. Toss in the julienned Bell peppers and simmer until they are half done.
7. Sprinkle turmeric powder, garam masala and the freshly prepared kadai paneer masala. 8.Give it a quick stir and let it simmer for a good 10 min until oil starts releasing from the sides.
9. Add water and adjust to the desired gravy consistency and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
10. Add in the cream and the Kasuri Methi leaves. Stir and let simmer for another couple of minutes.
Tips
Serve hot with Naan , Rotis or a bowl of #basmati rice.
To make it #vegan, you can always substitute the #paneer with #tofu. Sauté tofu before adding to enhance the flavor.
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